Lakota Nation Declares Independence From United States

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - A new country is shaping up as descendants of legendary warriors Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse withdrew from treaties the Lakota Indians signed with the United States over 150 years ago.

The Lakota Indians will issue their own passports and driving licenses, and living there would be tax-free; provided residents renounce their U.S. citizenship. Lakota country includes parts of the states of Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming.

"We are no longer citizens of the United States of America and all those who live in the five-state area that encompasses our country are free to join us,'' said Indian rights activist Russell Means as Lakota leaders delivered notice on Thursday to the State Department as well as the embassies of Bolivia, Chile, South Africa and Venezuela.

"We are legally within our rights to be free and independent," he said, adding diplomatic missions would continue overseas next year.

Lakota Indians have the shortest life expectancy in the world, at just 44-years-old. Teen suicides are 150 percent above the U.S. norm; infant deaths are five times higher than the U.S. average; and unemployment is widespread, according to the Lakota website.